Rediff.com » Sports » Three more held in 'spot-fixing' scam involving Pak players

Three more held in 'spot-fixing' scam involving Pak players

August 31, 2010 19:55 IST

Three more arrests have been made by the Customs investigators in connection with the 'spot-fixing' scandal involving Pakistani cricketers.

Two men and a woman, all from London, were questioned on Monday night as part of an investigation into money laundering before being released on bail, HM Revenue and Customs said in a statement.

Sky TV reported, that a 35-year-old woman from the Croydon area, along with a 49-year-old man in North London, were arrested to investigate a second, separate, criminal investigation into allegations of cricket match-fixing.

"Mazhar Majeed, the Pakistan players' agent and fixer at the centre of the News of the World story was re-arrested by the customs service as part of a connected investigation into money laundering. He was released only today," Sky TV reported.

Majeed was arrested by the Scotland Yard on Saturday over allegations of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.

All three were questioned by customs investigators around suspicion of money laundering in connection with cricket match-fixing and were released on bail.

Majeed has been bailed to appear before police at a future date. He is alleged to have offered the bribes.

News of the arrests emerged as three of the Pakistan cricketers at the centre of the scandal - pace duo Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir and Test skipper Salman Butt - were summoned to London to meet officials.

They will meet the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt and the country's High Commisioner on Monday.

The players are then expected to return to the squad in Somerset.

World cricket was rocked by the spot-fixing scam after News of the World posted a 'sting operation' video showing an alleged fixer Mazhar Majeed asking bowlers Aamir and Asif to bowl deliberate no-balls during the fourth Test against England at Lord's.

British investigators are also probing the involvement of Salman Butt, from whose hotel room 50,000 pounds was reportedly recovered by police.